“Could you please explain what happened?”
“Of course.”
Early morning after the commotion.
Damien pulled a chair to sit face to face with Schlus Hainkel.
Behind Damien were Atatürk and his guards, while Trie stood alone guarding Schlus’s back.
“No, no. Let me explain. From start to finish, Your Excellency, please listen and point out any mistakes.”
“Go ahead.”
“Serika. I didn’t know Serika Aias’s face. I only knew she was incredibly beautiful, but I knew nothing else. However, unless you’re blind, you would have realized that the dancer who performed the sword dance at the banquet on the day you arrived and the captured Serika have the same face.”
“That’s right. It’s the same person, obviously.”
“You summoned that dancer to your room at night. Everyone thought it was merely your hobby, but a certain contract must have taken place inside. And you violated that contract and captured everyone related to Serika, didn’t you?”
“······.”
Damien’s expression was slightly twisted by then.
Most of it was true.
Schlus Hainkel deceived Serika.
At the same time, he sent Hertlocker and Jin to thoroughly investigate the Aias remnants, and today he wiped them out all at once.
However, what Damien didn’t realize was what Schlus planned to do with Serika.
“Your Excellency, if you had told me in advance, I could have helped.”
“It was unnecessary. Our resources were enough.”
“Can we take this to mean it was the Emperor’s intention?”
“It has nothing to do with His Majesty.”
“If so, then this complicates matters further, Your Excellency. If you conduct operations alone with spies without consulting me from this development area—”
“Is that a problem?”
“Your Excellency······.”
“I’m asking if it’s a problem.”
“It’s······ not a problem······.”
Damien lowered his eyes and answered.
It was a sign of surrender.
Of course, this was a surrender for the moment.
From now on, whatever Schlus Hainkel said, Damien would suspect it first.
Although he appeared to be compliant on the outside, he planned to increase surveillance on Schlus Hainkel even more.
Of course, Schlus wanted to confide in Damien beforehand.
He wanted to inform him about the details of the operation and prepare together.
But he knew that saying so wouldn’t make Damien cooperate with a cheerful laugh.
Who would welcome someone who created such chaos in their territory?
So, he decided to proceed without informing Damien, even if it risks some resentment.
There wasn’t much Damien could do to oppose Schlus Hainkel.
A duke could not touch Schlus Hainkel, who had already become the second-in-command of the empire.
“Can I request the extradition of the criminals?”
“I will extradite all of Aias’s followers except for Serika. However, we’ll protect Serika a bit longer here.”
“Protect her…?”
“A storm is coming soon. I doubt these iron bars can withstand that storm.”
“······.”
The corners of Damien’s eyes fluttered.
At that, Schlus got up and pushed the chair back.
Damien quietly watched Schlus with steady eyes.
Just as Schlus was about to leave the Prime Minister’s residence, he paused.
No matter how he thought about it, he felt too sorry for the duke, so he decided to give him a tip.
“Your Excellency.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Be cautious of those close to you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just keep that in mind.”
With that, Schlus left the residence with Trie.
Finally, as his figure disappeared, Damien let out a hollow laugh.
“Hah! Haha····· Hah·····.”
His nails dug into his palm as blood trickled down.
It was simply absurd.
After they unexpectedly arrived at the development area, he prepared a grand welcome and a banquet, and this is how they repay him?
The final words spoken before leaving did not sound like advice at all.
It seemed to imply he should be wary of Atatürk, perhaps stirring up discord.
If he joined forces with Atatürk, could it cause trouble for Schlus Hainkel?
He couldn’t tell.
However, one thing was certain: from now on, things would not unfold according to Schlus Hainkel’s wishes alone.
“Atatürk. Come here.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“We need to prepare for the ‘storm.’ Elevate the military’s alertness to the highest level.”
“Understood.”
But for now, he had to brace himself for the ‘storm.’
The last princess of Aias, who had been hiding for years, was now revealed.
A living justification for war and the restoration of their homeland, as well as the center of the Elf race’s unity.
A woman who was difficult to either kill or let go.
Now, that woman has appeared and been captured, shaking the entire desert.
The ripple effect would not be calm.
*
“I knew this would happen. Damn it·····.”
“If you knew this would happen, you should have run away.”
“Is that even a comment?! Schlus Hainkel! You bastard·····!”
Inside the iron bars, hoarse shouts echoed endlessly.
One might worry he would lose his voice at this rate.
In the end, they had to wait until Serika calmed down.
At her current state, no conversation would be possible.
“Such a wicked bastard·····.”
“······.”
About ten minutes passed.
Serika, worn out, leaned against the wall, quietly cursing.
I gestured for the guards to step outside.
Once all the guards had left, the door slammed shut with a *bang*.
Just in case, I activated the Recognition Interference Barrier and opened my mouth.
“Are you comfortable there?”
“Comfortable? You locked me inside an iron cage?”
“······.”
Still, it was a considerable effort on my part.
I had rented out an entire hotel and set up a luxurious room to install iron bars.
Seeing her still unsatisfied indicates she truly is a princess.
“Let me guess, you need me. The whole desert trembles at your every word. You want me to tell the Elf race to comply with the current situation, don’t you? To submit to the humans. Since Aias Kingdom is in alliance with the Freya Empire, you want us to stop resisting.”
“······.”
“Sorry, but that’s a waste of money. There’s no need to treat me and bestow meaningless honors. I’m not going to say what you want to hear. You’d be better off silencing me quickly, like cutting my throat.”
Serika’s sharp gaze locked onto me.
Honestly, the impulse to make that gaze soften slightly crossed my mind.
I wanted to break her resolve not to yield and shape her into what I wanted.
However, doing so would undoubtedly lead to an irreversible outcome.
It would lead to worse consequences than killing Serika.
Letting out a deep sigh, I inserted the key into the door and unlocked it.
As I entered and slammed the door with a *bang*, Serika flinched and took a step back in surprise.
“I’m not going to kill you. Treating you well isn’t out of obligation.”
“What then?”
“It’s simply giving what a noble should rightfully receive.”
“Hmph! After beating the guards, what do you think? Trying to seduce me? You, a lowly commoner.”
“Yes. You’re right, you bitch. Now that I’ve activated the barrier, just be a bit more honest.”
“Uh, uh·····?”
Serika’s face began to display confusion.
It seemed she understood the words but still couldn’t comprehend them.
It was more appropriate to say that she couldn’t accept them.
As if waiting for me to say I misspoke and correct myself, Serika stared blankly at me with her mouth agape.
“I don’t expect anything from you. You just need to play the role of the unfortunate princess trapped by the villain Schlus Hainkel.”
“W-what do you mean·····?”
“I bet the rumors of your detention in the desert haven’t spread far and wide by now. Now, just the mere fact that you’re being held can boost the morale of the people and create a pretext for claiming the territory of the development area. What do you think will happen then?”
“The tribal leaders will······ gather together······.”
Correct answer.
The tribal leaders will gather in the development area.
Whether they bring a small army or just come to criticize, they will all gather.
And whether that leads to Serika’s liberation or not, there’s no reason not to at least try.
If it fails, it’s just a loss; if it succeeds, it’s a huge jackpot.
“What will you do by gathering them all? Put all the tribal leaders together and····· Ah, don’t tell me.”
Serika’s face turned pale.
It seems she imagined a terrifying scenario.
For instance, what if I killed all the tribal leaders·····?
That would indeed be the worst move possible.
Doing so would surely turn the entire Elf race into enemies for the next hundred years.
“You’re wrong. I’m gathering them to have a rational discussion.”
“A rational discussion? That’s rich······. A guy who threatens people to make them terrorists and betrays them talking about rational discussions?”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth.”
Dialogue with the tribal leaders who rush in, infuriated by the news of Serika’s capture, is expected to be more sincere and composed than ever.
After all, everyone knows they’re gathering to seize the crumbs, so there’s no need to put on airs.
And if luck is on our side, and timing aligns, I could even show them what the real threat to humanity is.
Then we could have constructive negotiations based on a common goal.
What we want isn’t much at all.
A non-aggression treaty with the desert and a joint war against the Majin would be sufficient.
We just want the desert not to easily collapse under the Asylum’s and Majin’s forces.
Handing over the western front to the Elf race alone would give the empire a lot of breathing room.
“What will I do in that discussion?”
“Don’t think of doing anything. Just play your part as the captured princess calling for help.”
“Is that what you’re saying now·····?!”
Seeing her face turn bright red indicated that Serika seemed quite upset.
Maintaining a positive relationship with Serika would be great, but····· I’m not sure.
I’ve completely lost the will to improve the relationship.
“You bastard. You’re cold-blooded, without any feelings.”
“Feel free to curse as much as you want.”
“You have no idea what it’s like to lose a nation? You, a psychopath who doesn’t understand human feelings. You see people and nations only as chess pieces.”
“······.”
I flinched, my fingertips trembling.
Seeing people as chess pieces.
In the past, I might have easily shrugged off such words.
Because I had thought of myself that way.
But not anymore.
Now, I try to see every person in this world as an individual.
If they aren’t seen as living beings, then that means neither Emilia nor Iris are real people.
If all the people I love are denied, then yes·····.
I snapped.
“I don’t know what it’s like to lose a country.”
“Of course. You’ve never lost anything.”
“That’s not true. I lost my father in war, was pushed off a cliff by my lord, losing my sight and hearing, and lost my mother to the empire’s spies.”
“My, my parents—”
“And then I lost my girlfriend. Twice. That’s where I am now. Have I lost something? Yes. For my entire life. And how about you? The princess of a fallen kingdom. Have you ever faced the bottom? Even while escaping with nothing, you were comfortably riding a camel, enjoying the services of people around you, weren’t you?”
“······.”
Before I realized it, I had Serika pinned against the wall.
Only then did I notice I was severely agitated.
It was infuriating to be lectured by someone who, despite being a princess, had never prepared for war and had lived lavishly her whole life.
Of course, that was a mistake.
I shouldn’t have shown my emotions to Serika.
It would have been better to remain cold-hearted, instilling fear instead.
“Don’t touch me······.”
As soon as I touched the key hanging from my neck, Serika twisted her body in annoyance.
Her expression was defiant.
She seemed to want to protest, yet had no words, shutting her mouth tightly.
Turning my back to Serika, I walked toward the bed.
I was exhausted from staying up all night.
I figured that even if I tried to sleep here, Serika wouldn’t pose any threat, so I decided to rest for about an hour.
“What, what’s that? What do you mean?”
“No special meaning. Just know I’m going to sleep.”
“Here·····?”
“Yes. This bed is better than my lodgings. I’ll rest a bit and leave soon, so don’t worry.”
“······.”
I laid myself down and covered myself with the blanket.
Just then, I heard rustling from behind.
Serika had sat on the bed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“······.”
“Schlus Hainkel. There are many rumors about you. That you’re the Emperor’s hidden child, or someone chosen by the Papal Palace·····. But it turns out that’s not the case. You’re just like any commoner, being pushed around and losing so much······.”
“Spare me the cheap sympathy.”
“If that’s how you take it, there’s nothing I can do. But I mean it. I’m sorry.”
I felt Serika’s hand on my shoulder.
Turning slightly, I found Serika lying next to me, staring at me.
Our eyes met, and a brief silence hung in the air.
In this strange awkwardness, Serika parted her lips—
“I’m going to sleep. Wake me up in an hour.”
“Huh? Uh?”
I turned my back, startled.
